Echoes of Storybrooke
by Die Schreiberin
Summary: Emma has struggled to believe and seeing her son lie dead on the hospital bed would test it even more.


A/N: I was watching the last night episode and I couldn't help but think about _Peter Pan._ So, this story is inspired by Jason Isaacs' _Peter Pan_ and the scene where Tinkerbell comes and drinks Peter's poison.

**ECHOES OF STORYBROOKE**

I don't own _Once Upon a Time, _only what I written_._

At the sound of the heart monitor flat lining, Emma's world simply shattered. She rushed over to Henry's bed and cradled his lifeless body in her arms. A large cry was rent from her. She started rocking her son back and forth all the while thinking how this couldn't be happening. How her son couldn't be dead. _His too young! He still had so much more to live for! It should have been me in his place. I should have died._

Her mind went chaotic with repeating thoughts as her body rack heavily with great emotions. Never in her life had she felt such great anguished. She knew Regina was in the room, but she could have cared less because it was because of her that Henry was now dead. Her mind began to think on other things to take her anger out on. She blamed Regina and her psychotic tendencies. A part of Emma wanted to believe that Henry was right about Regina being the Evil Queen. At the same time she began to groan in pain as she wanted to blame Henry's belief in fairy tales and that stupid book of his. _If he never came across that book then he would never had come after me. If he didn't come after me then he wouldn't have taken a bite of that turnover. _

She cried even harder as she thought on what must have been going on through Henry's mind before he took a bit of the poison apple turnover. _He always been weary of apples and it's because of his belief in magic and Regina being the Evil Queen. Due to his belief he took that blasted bite from the turnover and killed himself._

Emma had no idea what to believe anymore. She cried harder still as she replayed the final living moments she had with Henry. _I should have eaten the poisoned pastry. I didn't believe Regina would stoop so low. I didn't believe something would happen to Henry, but he knew. I thought he was being ridiculous with the notion that something would happen to me if I ate it. I didn't believe. If only had believed then none of this would have happened. _

_I'm sorry._ "I'm sorry, Henry," she quietly whispered into his ear.

"I'm so sorry," she said again bit a little bit louder so the sound of it could be heard. She gently laid Henry back on the bed, but held one of his hands as she kept her head near his. "I do believe in magic," she whispered in uncertainty. She felt like a fool in saying it, but she wanted to find some ways to make amends for her foolishness in not trusting Henry.

"I do believe in magic," she said again but a little louder. She felt a drive in her to say those words until she meant them in hopes to atone for her disbelief. "I do believe in magic."

"What are you saying?" asked Regina from behind her in voice that was mingled in her own grief and pain.

Emma ignored her and said yet again, but louder still, "I do believe in magic. I do. I do." And she wanted to believe in magic if it meant that she could fulfill her son's greatest desire in breaking the curse. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

* * *

Out in the parking lot of the hospital, lightning split in the sky and struck the base of the tree that the mayor's car was under. Within moments the car was caved in by the weight of half of the tree.

* * *

"I do believe in magic. I do. I do," Emma repeated as her voice started to hold more conviction as she willed herself in dashing away her disbelief and as she started to relive the many memories she had made when she had first came to Storybrooke. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

* * *

Standing behind a counter looking a little forlorn stood Ruby. Not so far away from her was Granny, who was looking over her books. Ruby wasn't paying any attention to her as her solemn thoughts strayed over to Emma and Henry. As she grieved for her lemur, her ears perked up when she heard a mumble coming from Granny's direction. She looked over to her and took note at how the woman looked like she was in some sort of trance. Another moment more she realized what the older woman was saying. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

Ruby repeated the line in her head once, before repeating it out loud to make sure she heard right. Upon repeating it, she couldn't help but feel how right it felt. Pretty soon she couldn't help and couldn't stop saying how she too believed in magic.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Emma back away from Henry for a moment to take in his features. She couldn't help but take in how much he was a good mixture of both her and his father. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do." He lips brushed his forehead.

"Why do you keep on repeating that phrase?" asked Regina, who didn't know if she should grieve still or be angry.

* * *

Sitting on a park bench reading a book while her father and brother were playing catch, Ava felt this sudden urge to look up. When she did, she noticed how her brother was standing stock still as a stature. Down by his side was a baseball he had failed to catch. In wonderment like her father, she approached her sibling. As she neared him, she noticed how his lips were moving, but she couldn't quite catch what he was saying until she was right on top of him. Both she and her father looked at each other questioning for moment before saying in unison, "'I do believe in magic. I do. I do?'" Even though they questioned why Nicholas was saying what he was saying, they both felt the rightness of his statement. Soon they found themselves repeating his chant.

* * *

Emma still sat with Henry as she held his small hands in hers and kissed their palms, "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

* * *

Leroy held the cold handle to his mug of beer thinking about his friend and crush Astrid the nun. He was still trying to fix up his boat so he could give out boat rides to the nuns. He wanted to do something fun for them, but only as an excuse to spent time with Astrid. As he contemplated what he must do to the ship while simultaneously thinking about the way Astrid smiled, he heard a grumble to his right. When he looked over, he was not so surprise to see Sydney with a glass of his own in his hand.

"Yo, what are you going on about, sister?" He smirked at that since he called everyone sister.

However, his smirk faded as he realized that Sydney has not taken any defense to Leroy's comment as Mr. Grumps-a-lot thought he would. Confused, he leaned in closer and heard, "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

"I'm glad you believe in magic. I do, but…" he was going to add an insult, but found his thoughts and words failed him as something struck him, "You know sister, I too do believe in magic. I do. I do."

* * *

With a said small smile, Emma put Henry's hand over her heart. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do." Not only did she feel like she had to convince herself into believing in something she had hard time into believing, but also Henry as well. She didn't know if she believed in a afterlife, but if there is one, she hoped that Henry would be able to hear her and realize how sorry she was.

* * *

In the pawn shop, Jefferson sat with Mr. Gold in a game of chess. They both felt familiar tingles in their fingers. They looked up from their chess pieces and sported sparks in their eyes along with a half smiles of delight. "You know, I do believe in magic. I do. I do," Jefferson said as he moved his knight forward.

Mr. Gold's smile grew even more as he moved his bishop. "Oh, I most certainly believe in magic," he said in a creepy matter that he has not used in some time, "I do. I do."

* * *

Emma for the likes of her could not understand as the full purpose of why she kept repeating it, but she felt the need to. She felt the need to say it, to declare it, to believe that it is true. She knew Henry was not the only one who believed in magic. August also believed even though he's a full grown man. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

* * *

Across the town and in his father's shop, August felt an electric pulse through the air. A smile formed on his face as the stiffness of his left arm gave away to a certain relief. He felt that whatever magic that was either being used on him or taken away has been stilled. He felt hope light up in him when he started hearing his father say, "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

August smiled, "I too papa. I believe in magic too. I do. I do." He had no qualms of calling his father papa, since the old man was in some sort of trance. So, to be able to call him papa aloud with the man himself caused August a bit of glee.

* * *

Emma leaned down one more time to kiss Henry's brow, before standing up and looking over at Regina, one of causes of this mess she was in now. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

* * *

Standing outside on the street near Mary Margaret's apartment was the woman herself with David. They were both clad in a jacket and looked up in the sky which looked as if it were threatening to rain. Before that, Mary Margaret came out of her apartment in hopes of running to the hospital. She had felt the desire that the hospital was the place where she needed to be at the moment. When she came outside, she was immediately aware of David's on coming presence. They started talking about what had happened with Henry and urgency of getting to the hospital to be there for Emma.

As they stood talking, Mary Margaret felt a tug at her heart as if something she held dear had been ripped from her. Her pain filled eyes looked towards David, who also looked as if he was in pain. "David, are you okay?" she asked worried.

"I should be asking you that," he retorted as best as possible.

Mary wanted to smile at that jest, but she couldn't, "I don't know if I'm fine."

"Neither do I, but…" he trailed off as lost in thought. "I know this might sound crazy Mary, but… I do believe in magic."

"You do?"

"I do."

Again Mary Margaret wanted to smile, but couldn't instead she looked towards the heavens and sighed with a single tear running down her cheek, "I believe in magic too."

"You do," asked David.

"I do."

* * *

Back at the hospital, Emma walked over to Regina and grabbed hold of the brunette's shoulders. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do." By touching the older woman alone, Emma felt something like instant courage or something. She couldn't put her finger on it, but whatever the case maybe, she liked it. And small smile worked its way onto her face. "I do believe in magic," she said with more conviction in her voice and quite oblivious to what was going on around besides Henry on the bed and Regina looking at if she were half crazed.

If she were paying closer attention, she would have heard the echoes of her statement throughout the hospital. She would have heard the voices of Dr. Whale and Kathryn. Of course, the echoes of the hospital didn't end with them, no. The tail end of the echoes lies beneath with Belle in her chamber in the mental ward.

However, Emma didn't pay this any mind. On the other hand, Regina did and that's why she was half crazed. She looked at if she was standing in the presence of her mother and was about to be punished for her insolence. A part of her couldn't understand how Emma was doing what she was doing, but she feared its meaning. She didn't want to hear Emma any more. She didn't want Emma to believe in magic, because she knew magic was real and she hated it. She had when she was a child. She had when her mother took Daniel's heart away. She hated how she clung on to magic for a quick fix. She hated how magic became her ruin as she looked on the form of her son.

"I do believe in magic. I do. I do." She heard Emma say over and over again. Each time more vibrate then the last. She hated it. She hated how Emma's eyes were searching hers as if asking for you to confirm her suspicions. No, they weren't asking; they were demanding her to comply. Slowly, Regina felt how her resentence towards Emma's demands were futile.

She didn't want to say anything, but she felt a force compel her speak. Before she could stop herself from saying anything else, she bowed her head in submission. "I do believe in magic. I do. I do."

At the sound of her admittance, there came a faint beep from behind Emma. Then another following that. Both women turned around and watched the heart monitor pick up speed. They both rushed over to the boy, whose chest was raising and falling. At that time, both of them knew things with the boy would turn out alright. Emma felt happy for a second, but looking back up at Regina, she scowled.

Regina caught her eye, "Yes?"

Emma pulled her glare away and gently looked again at her only living son, "You'll live to see at least another day."

Regina gulped knowing the implications of Emma's statement.

* * *

A/N: It's not my best work, but hey, I tried.


End file.
